


Found

by StoneCatcher



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-08-03
Packaged: 2018-04-06 18:38:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4232550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoneCatcher/pseuds/StoneCatcher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, people shut themselves away in hopes that somebody will come find them. The worst feeling: The absolute worst – is when nobody does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Phone Call

Sometimes, people shut themselves away in hopes that somebody will come find them. The worst feeling: The absolute worst – is when nobody does.

~

Sniper wasn't stupid. If Helen had needed him, if she'd really required his services still, she'd've sent someone after him. Like before, when... Ah. New Zealand. He slid a hand over his gut, knowing by heart where the scars were.

He wondered what the other guys had been up to. He'd lost track of time, and toyed with the thought of them wondering about him.

He doubted it.

~

The calender was on June. June of the year his parents had died. If he was being honest – totally honest – with himself, he was depressed and had let himself go. His only time frame was his wristwatch – still somehow functional – that he'd remembered to reset when arriving in Australia.

How long had it been? He wanted to say years, but maybe it'd only been a few months, and he was going stir crazy. He hadn't heard from anyone in ages, aside from folks he bumped into whilst out getting groceries, and the likes. And the longer he went without social interaction, the less deserving he felt of it. So he kept to himself, inside the little old farmhouse. He paid his bills and lived a quiet life.

It was awful. Too quiet.

 

Then, the phone rang.

He wasn't sure why he still had the bloody thing – wasn't like he got any calls – yet here it was, ringing. Probably a misdial. Shoot, he'd never changed the voice mail recording, had he? He was fairly sure it was still his mum, cheerfully claiming that the caller had reached Mr. and Mrs. Mundy, and to please leave a message after the tone.

He sighed and got up, picking up the receiver. “'Lo? Mundy residence.” He said, though it felt... wrong. He waited for the caller to apologize, and hang up.

“Hey! Holy shit!” A familiar voice all but shouted into the phone. Sniper drew it back a bit, frowning. There wasn't any way in hell... “Man, do you know how long I've been digging around, trying to find your number or something? Like, I seriously--”

“Scout?” He asked incredulously. It was like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on him. Shocking, but... oddly refreshing.

“Yeah, hah! This uh, sorry. Totally out of nowhere! Anyways, I was lookin', so finally I broke down and dialed up Miss P. She gave me your number. Guess I don't make a very good spook, huh?” He laughed. Sniper never thought he'd miss the sound of the kid's voice, but hell, he did. “Hey, look, I get if this is a bad time and I'm interrupting-- actually, what time is it there?”

“Ah... 7:30. AM. And no, no, you're not interrupting.” _Don't hang up, please God, don't hang up._

“Great! Wow, that's early. I mean, not for me, 'm usually up like... 5 am. But like, it's six at night here, yeah? Must'a been one helluva mess, readjusting to the timezone, huh? I had a lil trouble, myself, but not much. Only a couple hours.” And Scout yammered on, in his usual manner. Sometimes, he'd ask Sniper questions: What was he up to? Did he have a girlfriend? How were things? Did he live with a kangaroo? And Sniper found himself rather eager to answer. 

It became a regular thing. Every Wednesday night, Scout would call, because he didn't do anything Thursdays, and could stay up as late as he pleased, talking. They'd talk until Scout was nothing more than yawns, and Sniper would – albeit reluctantly – shoo him away to get some sleep. 

 

For the first time in forever, he'd catch himself smiling. He'd fall asleep with a little grin on his face, and hell! He even went out and bought a calender. Time seemed to pick itself back up, right where it left off. Days didn't all blur into one, and a couple of months in, Scout asked if it would be okay for him to come out and visit. 

To say Sniper was elated... would've been accurate. He held it together, though, and told him to give him a date to shoot for. Mostly because he hadn't cleaned up the place, or mowed the lawn since he'd gotten here. And he didn't exactly have a guest room set up, either. Well, that was something else to add to his list of things to fix up, he figured. 

~

They spent a week together. Sniper had picked Scout up from the airport and had earned himself a quick – but equally lovely – one armed hug. Scout had grown, and when asked about it, he just grinned and flushed a little bit, saying, “You bet your ass I did!” 

On the second night of staying with Sniper, Scout had introduced himself by his name. Robbie. It was a nice name, really. Sniper had hastily replied with Mick, smiling the smallest bit and looking off to the side. He felt guilty, but, he loved the way his name sounded, rolling off of Scout's tongue. 

The night before he was set to fly back to the US, Scout had promised to come and visit again. Sniper wasn't going to hold him to it, but the thought of having company again was nice. He tried not to let on how much he was going to miss the kid. 

He tried not to let on that his life had been a right mess, until Scout had gone poking around, looking for him. Sometimes, though, he wondered. Wondered if Scout knew how lonely he was, if maybe it was written on his face, or if he heard it in his voice every time they talked. 

He wondered if he looked a little more than desperate. 

~

Scout was good to his word. Every couple of months, he and Mick would plan something, and Scout would visit. He even got Sniper to visit Boston a couple times, and meet his Ma and a few of his brothers. He didn't seem to care much for his siblings, but it was obvious he cared a lot about his mum.

It was bittersweet, and made Sniper miss his own parents, but it also reminded him of a lot of happy memories. And, it was nice, seeing Scout getting fussed over by his mother. 

He can't help but thing that his mum and Scout's mum would've gotten along famously. 

~

Sniper wasn't really sure when, but, somewhere along the line, Scout changed. Not for the better or worse, really, but he seemed more... Subdued. 

“I am? 'M sorry.” Scout hummed over the phone one night. Well, morning for Sniper, night for him. 

“S'fine, mate, I just...” He sighed, and swallowed. “I just worry, is all.” Worry that something was wrong, worry that he himself had done something to upset Scout. 

Worry that he'd lose the only person who'd bothered to find him. 

“Ah, shit, I guess I'm just stressed. Family bullcrap, yanno.” Scout chuckled, trying to downplay it. “I'm sorry. Don't worry about me, alright?” 

That really wasn't possible. “Alright.” Sniper relented. “Any time you need me, though, you know you can always call, right? 'M pretty much always at home, so...” He chuckled. 

Scout had thanked him, and then said he had to go, not too long after. He sounded tired. 

~

He didn't call on Wednesday. Sniper... wanted to call Scout, instead, and check up on him, but maybe this was his way of saying he didn't want to speak anymore. Couldn't blame the guy, really. 

Sniper went to bed early that night, but slept with an ear tuned, just in case Scout called late. Instead of a phone, however, around 11 pm, Sniper heard gravel crunching under the tires of a car. People didn't usually come out this way, though it wasn't unheard of. He was ready to relax and go back to sleep when the screen door slammed, and a pair of soft footsteps could be heard coming through the house. 

Sniper slowly reached for his knife, pausing when his bedroom door opened, and a weight flopped down beside him. He stilled his breath, but was sure the other person could feel his heart pounding a mile a minute. 

“I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go.” Scout mumbled. “I couldn't... I can't be around them, right now.” 

Wait. 

Wait a minute. 

Sniper opened his eyes. Scout looked like a mess, staring blearily into the darkness at Sniper. “I just need a couple days and I'll go back. I just need to get away from them – Boston – all of it, for a couple--” 

Sniper cupped Scout's face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over his cheeks slowly. “Stay as long as you need.” He said softly, watching as Scout's face contorted in pain. He squeezed his eyes shut, obviously trying not to break. “Guess I know why you didn't call, earlier.” Sniper chuckled weakly, trying to lighten the mood. 

Scout let out a gasping sort of laugh, opening his eyes as tears welled up, but didn't fall. “Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. I'll give you a heads up, next time.” 

He just chuckled softly, pulling the other into his arms and rubbing Scout's back with his fingertips. 

They fell asleep like that, arm in arm. 

~

 

 


	2. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me over a month to crank it out, and that it's so short! I hope you guys all like it, regardless!

Three weeks had gone by since Scout had showed up. He'd tried suggesting – several times – that maybe he should leave. And every time, Sniper reminded Scout that he was welcome here – that he honestly enjoyed his company.

 

“I think I should go back. Not for the reason you think!” Scout started, holding up a hand to hush the ex-marksman before he could protest. “I mean, just... sort shit out. I can't... I can't avoid it forever. My, uh... My dad came back. My ma has been sick, too, and none of my siblings wanna stick around and take care of her. I've been doing that but... Shit, I can't stay and take care of her forever, I got stuff I wanna do-- Shit. Sorry, I'll stop.”

Sniper shook his head, motioning for Scout to continue. “Talk to me. I want to listen, even if I can't help much.”

Scout smiled graciously, and went on, telling Sniper about family struggles back in Boston, and how his dad was a bastard and – would you believe he was a fucking spy? – And sniper feigned surprise.

 

~  
  
“You gonna lay in bed all day, lazy ass?” Scout chided gently, sliding into Sniper's room one morning.

“Mhh.” Was his intelligent response. Scout laughed a little bit, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Here, I got ya something.” He said, passing over a mug once the Sniper had pulled himself into a sitting position. “You still taking me to the airport today?” He asked gently.

“Course I am. I'm gonna miss ya, though. I like having you here.” Sniper smiled, sipping the coffee.

“Yeah man, I like you too.” Scout hummed, seeming as though he was elsewhere. It took a few moments before he snapped back to reality. “I... uh. I mean, I like being here with you. I should just...” He moved to get up, but Sniper held up a hand to stop him.

“You make good coffee, mate.”

“I... thanks?” That was out of nowhere.

“You're welcome. Try some.” Sniper offered, turning to face him with a strange amount of determination.

“Aw, man, I don't drink that crap, so--” Scout began, but was cut off.

“Try some.”

So Scout sighed and shrugged, leaning over and holding out a hand for the mug. Sniper took his hand and pulled him into a very quick kiss, grinning like a fool. “Told you it was good.” He said in a tired sort of coyness, as though he'd come up with the most suave way of flirting anybody had ever saw.

Scout blinked, incredulous, before smiling as well. “Yep. I am a coffee genius.” He rolled his eyes. “Look, I gotta shower off. I got back from running and thought you might want something to wake you up.” He said, shaking his head and heading off.

Sniper smiled to himself, only to fully wake up several minutes later and wonder in mild horror why he thought behaving like a coy 17 year old was a good idea. He sighed and stretched out, going to refill his mug and start on breakfast.

 

It wasn't too long afterwards that Scout came in, toweling off his hair.

“Look, I'm sorry about earlier, I--” Sniper cut himself off when the runner sat up on the counter, looking at him seriously.

“Did you mean it?”

“The, uh.... the kiss? Or, about the coffee?” Sniper asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Both. Why not both?” Scout chuckled.

“Yeah, I did. You make great coffee, and...” He chewed his lower lip, sighing. “I don't want you to leave. Things have been... a hell of a lot nicer with you around. I don't know what I'm going to do, if things to back to how they were, before you found me like this.”

“Hey.” Scout frowned, reaching out and resting his hand on Sniper's shoulder. “I'm gonna come back, alright? I'm happy to stay here, as long as you'll have me. You got that?” He asked, sliding his hand down and linking his fingers with the other's. Scout brought the hand up and rested his lips against Sniper's knuckles.

 

Sniper smiled and looked off, giving Scout's hand a gentle squeeze. “Got it.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> This will have a second chapter! as of (6/29) at 4 am, I simply have not finished writing it yet.


End file.
